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The Cat's Paw
Characters: Cato Tenebury (user Kitsunesm), Oswald (user Pewpewpowah) Cato's side of the encounter at Oswald's Emporium. A battle is best started off with preparations. The Cat's Paw Cato stepped into the dusty confines of the weaponry emporium and sneezed. You'd have thought that a prosperous business owner like Oswald would keep his shop better. As it was, the place looked as shady as the man's reputation. He was a human of dubious allegiances, rumored to have a finger in every pie... which was probably the reason for his success. If his boast was to be believed, he could import any weapon no matter how rare from any region of choice. At the moment though, the man in question was nowhere to be found. She was bored. Trailing an idle finger through the dust or a display sword, an inscription in an old Beastkin tongue became visible. Her ears perked up in interest. Durandal it read. "Strength mrr." Her attempt to lift it proved it worthy of its name. Such greatswords were for a Beastkin's use, not a half-wilding like her. In any case, the blade was too long and unwielding to be of use to her. Cato set about exploring the store. Oswald came back to find the her experimenting with the weapons on display. "Isn't this just an ordinary pitchfork?" A swing with it narrowly missed knocking a halberd off its shelf. "Don't - just - put that down right now! Ma'am! Please!" Cato lowered it with reluctance. Smoothing his ruffled countenance, Oswald asked for the weapon she was looking for. "A dagger," she explains "a weighted one, suited for throwing." "I might have some - give me a moment. And, don't you swing that mace too!" The words "weird" and "child", uttered lowly as he made his way to the back, make her chuckle - she was certainly neither. The merchant was back shortly with a bone-white dagger in his hands. "This is the Carnwennan, the dagger of an ancient King in the North. Interested? I suppose you are! But that blade has come from my prized collection in the Galleria. It's gonna cost you... unless you have something other than gold to offer me?" She doesn't answer. The dagger is tossed from hand to hand, then suddenly launched into the air with a flip of a finger. "!" It spins end over end in a high arc, its blade catching on the dim light. She watches its trajectory with bright eyes. Then just as quickly she leaps, catching the blade between her index and middle fingers. Landing lightly on her feet, she regards with a thoughtful expression. "Not bad," she admits, while still deftly manouvering the dagger in her hand. Then she stops and sighs. "But it's chipped here though. And the blade's dull. Maybe not...." her voice trails off. With a half-turn, she makes as if to walk out of the shop... "Hiss! Child! Did you not see what the blade has done! It flew! FLEW!! And you caught it! That's a sign!" Hands instantly grab her, shaking her slightly in frustration. She tries not to smile. "Watch," he says, his glare much sharper than the old blade. He snapped his fingers, tapping the hilt of the blade twice. The white hilt began to glow. In an instant he threw the dagger across the room, and it shot through the wooden pillar before landing back in his palm, horizontal. "Like I said, this came from the Galleria. It isn't a joke. Ah, but a child like you would never understand the power of relics now, would you?" His smile was sly. Cato watches the too-wide grin and glint in the merchant's eyes through her own narrowed ones. "Oh I don't know... maybe it might be too much for ordinary folk like me. Perhaps I should just get something more my size," she shrugs noncommittedly. "Nonono!" The dark-skinned man puts his hands to his temples in a exaggeratedly vexed expression. "Heavens you young folk know nothing of value these days! Tell you what, you're in luck today." The man casually puts a friendly arm around her shoulders and whispers conspirationally. "I like your spunk kid. I'll sell it to you at fifty Quin." "Ten," is the quick reply. "Twenty five." "Fifteen." Cato stands her ground while the merchant shakes his head and heaves another aggrieved sigh. His response is... "Twenty, with a promise that you will find some information that I need. You look like someone from the Valerian capital...yes...you will be useful." He rubs his flaking beard. "But honestly, to charge a child for something at that price..." she can't help teasing the old crook. Let the him sweat a little longer. Turned away from him as if to think, he doesn't see her lips quirk in a smirk. She turns around sharply. "I'll take it," Cato grins. With the price settled, the coins are quickly counted out from her pouch and eagerly pocketed by the merchant. "Carnwennan... huh." She touches the ivory bladework admiringly. It'll need a new name. Sliding it into its sheath, she then a props an elbow on the counter. Her eyes smile like a cat's. "So. What kind of information are ya lookin for?"